Car floor cushioning means



Oct. 25,l 1932, T H SYMINGTON 1,884,372

CAR FLOOR CUSHIONING MEANS Filed Jan. 17. 1931 Romy Patented ct. 25",` 1932 uNi'll-:Dfv sT Arr-1;"s` PATENT ori-lcs f. g

'nicnas n. SYMINGTQN, or RALTIMQREMARYLAND,

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND@ CORPORATION or MARYLAND son, INC., or

A ssIGivoR To ,7n-H, sYMINGToN e y CAR FLOOR cUsHroN'ING 'iimiuvs` Application led YJanuary- 17, '198L Serial No. 509,517. i

The invention relates to railway cars, par. ticula-rly to the iioor mounting for freight cars and has for its general object the provision of a novel cushioning means which will operate to absorb the vertical component. of end shocks so that the 'lading will rbe adequately .protected as is naturally of great 1 m. portance particularly in the `transportation of numerous commodities of amore or less destructible or perishable nature.

- I have discovered `from a seriesof tests to determine the ratio of vertical shocks to end shocks ythat when a vfreight car strikes the end car of a solid train at speeds from three to four miles yper hour the rvertical shock 1s from five to six times the end shock in the car struck. To'. give ak specificV instance` I found that at four f miles kper hour a ftyv pound weight hangingfroin a dynamometer registered l1200 pounds on, the scale, indi. eating that the verticalintertia forceis forty times gravity which is 32.16. These vertical forces should be readily appreciated when it is consideredthatthe center of gravity of a car is a considerable distance above the centerline of draft, resulting inA an upward reac` tion which varies in ldifferent parts or at dif-V ferent points along the length of a car. It is evident that present day draft gears and their attachments while cushioning the horizontal component of end shocks do lnot offer protection 4against the vertical component of shocks which might be brought about byy taking upy slack in a train, byrun-'ins at in shifting. f,

Itis with the a ove facts in view that Ihave devised the present invention which has for its primary object the provision of means in the nature of a'cushion ofsome sort locatedy beneathv the car oor and interposed between it and the underframe for the purpose of absorbing the vertical component of end shocks so that they will not be transmitted to the lading.l j

An important yobject Vof the invention is to provide an absorption means of this character, which may be constructed as a cushion carried by elements :secured and auxiliary` to the car underframe and bearingldirectly against high speed, or

, type in which means is the underside of: the carfloorA toL formresil-V ient'supporting'means therefor.

Amore specific object of the-invention is to provide a floor mounting including rubber pads or strips carried by supporting means t secured to the side and center sills.

Another object of the invention is to provide a floor mounting of this character which will permityvertical movementof the floor without bringing undue wear upon the car sides or Walls. f

c Still another'object ofthe invention is to provi-de,v an absorption construction of this provided for preventing the floor from jumping off from the cushioning elements .and for maintaininff the cushioning means under a Acertain preliminary compressionif such befound desirable.

An additional object is to provide an arrangement ofthis character `which will be simple `and inexpensive to make, easy to install, positive in action, efficient and durable in serviceand a general improvement in the art. rIothe attainmentfof the foregoing and other objects and advantages, the invention preferably consists in thevdetails of construction and arrangement and combination ofl parts tov be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated inthe accom panying drawing in which: Figure 1 is across sectionalview through the under-frame and floor and a portion. of the sides of a freight car, thatk portion of the view tothe left of the'center line being taken at the doorway'and showing a cross bearer in elevation, and that portion of the view at the right of the center linebeing taken at one of the body bolsters and showing the same in elevation."` y y Figure 2 is a fragmentary detail section of the mounting at the center sills, and

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the mountingat the .car side or side sills.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it will, be observed that I have shown the essential features of a car underframe whichy includes the center sills 10, side sills 11, cross bearers 12 and body bolster 13. The car floor is indicated at 14the side at 15, and

the door at 16. These elements are not illustrated in minute detail as they are conventional and as they themselves constitute no part of the invention.

roadly considered, the invention comprises the provision of cushioning means carried by the underframe and directly supporting the car floor. To accomplish this I make use of plate Vor bracket members 17 extending longitudinally of the car and riveted or otherwise suitably secured at 18 to the top flanges of the side sills 11, and also provide angular plate or bracket members 19 riveted at 2O to the top lianges of the center sills 10. The plate or bracket members 19 are disclosed as extending laterally beyond the center sills towardthe sides of the car, while the plate or bracket members 17 extend ili- Wardly toward the center. In view of the fact that the center sills are located in a lower position than the side sills, the members 19 areV disclosed as having their free edges upwardly odset in order to bring them in the same plane with the members 17. The car underframe further includes longitudinally extending beams 21 supported with respect to the cross bearers and body bolsters by brackets'22 and the top surfaces of these beams are flush with the topsurfaces of the members 17 and 19.

Mounted upon the respective members 17 and 19 and the beams 21 are resilient pads here disclosed as rubber strips 23 which are consequently supported throughout their lengths and which directly engage and support the car floor 14. If necessary or preferred some positive means might be provided for preventing displacement of the strips, as for instance they might be initially shellacked or cemented in place though in service it is quite apparent that the weight of the floor and any lading thereon will opto accommodate the pads. Clearly, the pads cannot slip out of these grooves or channels and they will consequently be held in the proper position with respect to their supporting elements. The thickness and height of the pads is a matter which can be varied but it is of course apparent that this is a detail which is logically covered by the requirements of the particular car, that is to say in point of size and capacity thereof. The quality of the rubber used for making the pads is also a factor which will determine the cross sectional area and it should therefore be understood that considerable latitude is permissible. v

To prevent lateral shifting of the floor, that is to say movement in any'direction other than vertical, I preferably provide bolts or rivetsV 25 which pass through the car floor with their-heads 26 sunk or recessed thereinto. These elements also pass freely through holes 27 and 28 in the plate or bracket members 17 and 19 respectively so as to slide with res ect thereto. These members 25 are prefera ly of that type in which the Shanks are barbed as at 29 so that they will move with the floor instead of sliding therethrough when vertical movement occurs. Between the upset lower ends 30 of the members 25 and the plate or bracket membersl7 and 19 it is logically preferable to provide washers 31.

At its edges the floor is equipped with the usual molding or grain strip 32 and as the floor is intended to be capable oty vertical movement it is apparent that there is bound to be a tendency toward wear at this point, for which reason I provide the car side with wear plates 33 which are riveted in place or otherwise suitably secured.

car constructed in this manner is of course used in identically the same manner as any other car but the point is that the load instead of coming solidly upon the metal underframe is supported by the resilient pads or cushions 23. As it is not intended that there be any excessive space between the car floor and the body bolster, it is preferable that the floor have its underside formed with recesses 34 opposite to or immediately above the rivets 35 which project above the top of the body bolster, the purpose being that these recesses will receive the rivet heads when the cushion strips are compressed to their maximum extent. In the actual operation it should be clear that by virtue of the resilient pads the vertical component of any end shocks coming upon whatsoever will be absorbed instead of being transmitted to the lading, the ultimate result being that the lading will be protected instead of being subjected to the violent blows or forces which are not in any Way taken care of by the draft gear. Clearly articles of a readily destructible or perishable nature, such as fragile ware of dierent kinds, fruits, vegetables and the like may be transported in a car having its Hoor cushioned in this manner with far less danger of damage than in an ordinary car. Attention is directed to the fact that the installation is inexpensive and easily made and that it does not add materially to the weight of the car. It is thought from the foregoing that the construction, operation and advantages should be readily apparent to one skilled in the art without further explanation.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment ofthe invention, it should be understood that the disclosure is merely an exempliication of the principles involved as the right is reservedV to make all such changes in the details of construction as will widenthe field of utility and increase the adaptability of the-device provided such changes constitute no departure from thev the car from any cause spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended. I

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. In a railway car having an underframe and a floor, continuous cushioning means carried by the underframe extending throughout substantially the length thereofand supporting the floor.

2. In a railway car having an underframe and a floor, cushioning means carried by the underframe and directly abuttingly engaging the floor for Vsupporting the same, an means secured to the underframe for supporting said cushioning means.

3. Ina railway car having an underframe including side and center sills, the car also having a floor, bracket means carried by said side and center sills and cushioningmeans supported by said bracket means and directly engaging the floor for supporting the same.

4. In a railway car having an underframe including side and center sills and longitudinally extending intermediate beams, elongated rubber cushioning strips mounted on the respective side and center sills and beams, and a oor resting upon said cushioning members.

5. In a railway car having an underframe including side and center sills, plate members mounted on the top of all of said sills,

, rubber cushioning strips mounted on said plate members, and a car yfloor seated directly upon said cushioning members.

6. In a railway car having an underframe including side and center sills, plate members secured to the side sills and extending toward the center of the car, other plate members secured to the center sills and extending outwardly away from the center of the car, cushioning strips carried by the respective plate members, and a ioor seated upon said strips.

7 In a railway car havingan underframe including side and center sills, plate members secured to the side sills and extending toward the center of the car, other plate memn bers secured to the center sills and extending outwardly away from the center of the car, cushioning strips carried by the respective plate members, and a floor seated upon said strips, the fioorhaving its underside formed with longitudinally extending grooves receiving and retaining said strips.k

8. In a railway car having an underframe including side and center sills, supporting members carried by the respective sills, cushioning members carried by said supporting members, and a floor seated upon said cushioning members, the iioor having its underside grooved to accommodate and retain said cushioning members in position.

9. In a railway car having an under-frame including side and center sills, plate members secured to the top of the side sills and ient pads carried f comprising securing pads, and means extending inwardly with respect thereto, other plate members secured to the center sills and extending outwardly with respect thereto, the free edge portions of said second named plate members being upwardly offset to lie in the same plane with the first named plate members, cushioning strips carried by the respective plate members and extending longitudinally of the car, and a iioor seated upon said strips.

10. In a railway car having an underframe including side and center sills, plate members secured to the top of the respective sills, resilby said plate members, a floor seated upon said pads, and means carried by the floor and engaging members for limiting relative separation.

11. In a railway car having an underirame including side and center sills, plate members secured to the top of the respective sills, resilient pads carried by. said plate members, a floor seated upon said pads, and means carried by the floor and engaging said plate members for limiting relative separation, elements extending through the floor and slidable through the plate members.

12. In a railway car having an underframe including side and center sills, cushioning members supported by said sills and extending longitudinally of the car, a iioor seated upon said members and vertically movable with respect to the underframe, the car having sides, and wear plates on the sides adj acent the edges of the floor.

13. In a railway car having an underframe including side and center Vsills and a floor, resilient pads extending longitudinally of the car, means on the respective sills supporting said pads, the floor resting upon said connecting the floor and said supporting means for limiting upward movement of the iioor.

14. In a railway car having an underframe including side and center sills and a floor, resilient pads extending longitudinally of the car, means on the respective sills supportf ing said pads, the floor resting upon said pads, means connecting the ioorand saidk supporting means for limiting upward movement of the floor, a grain strip carried by the ioor at the edge thereof, and a wear plate on the car yside adjacent the grain strip.

In testimony whereofI aiiix my signature.

` THO MAS H. SYMINGTON.`

said plate 

